Baraka_Guru

I can see how there is a disconnect for most people. It's the same thing when it comes to shopping. How much of the crap at Walmart was made using labour practices that are outright illegal in North America? What about the environmental damage caused by purchasing one type of product over another? Or buying the product int he first place? Or buying too many replacements too quickly (think electronics)?

I imagine investing is much the same: it's about what you get out of it, not what impact it has on those you will likely never meet or places you'll likely never see.

However, I do hear that ethical investing is on the rise. Entire mutual funds are built around the practice and an increasing number of people are learning about the options. I think it goes hand in hand with the new wave of environmentalism that's occurred along with the attention garnered by global warming revelations.

Of course, the world is getting smaller too, so I think as individuals we're becoming more concerned with the implications of our lifestyles. We are more enlightened on what impact we're having. Fair trade? Organic? Shade grown? Bring your own mug? Ten percent of your purchase goes to charity?

I just don't think it's enough. It's not happening fast enough. Over time, I think we'll start seeing significant changes in how we make decisions with regard to consumerism. Investing is a part of that in a way.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot